A viewfinder is often used for aligning an indicium (i.e., barcode) for reading (i.e., scanning). The viewfinder provides real-time images from the reader's camera to help a user align the device (e.g., imaging scanner, smartphone, smartwatch, etc.) for scanning. A graphical overlay may be superimposed onto the real-time images in order to present messages (e.g., instructions, information, aids, etc.) to a user. The graphical overlay is a “layer” that that has visible messages (i.e., single color messages) on a transparent background. When the messages are a single color, it is hard to see them in certain imaging scenarios (e.g., white text on a white image). Utilizing the live camera video feed to position a barcode is an intuitive way to scan barcodes, but this interface loses its effectiveness when the messages are hard to read. Therefore, a need exists for a method to analyze the background behind the text/graphics messages and adjust their color in real-time to provide good visibility.